


It's All a Bunch of Hocus Pocus

by reindeerjumper



Series: Daddy Darcy [6]
Category: Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Bridget Jones's Diary - All Media Types, Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
Genre: Daddy Darcy, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Ficlet, Halloween, Hocus Pocus (1993) References, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, The Darcy Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-08-27 21:19:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8417128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reindeerjumper/pseuds/reindeerjumper
Summary: Bridget sits her family down to watch Hocus Pocus the night before Halloween, and much to her chagrin, Mark has never seen it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I was sitting home alone, watching Hocus Pocus, which of course led me to dream up a quick little Halloween ficlet. Happy Halloween!

It was the night before Halloween, and Bridget had insisted on a movie night. “Pleeeeease?” she had begged, her best pout on her lips. Mark had given her an exasperated sigh. “Bridget, whining will get you nowhere. Besides, you’re giving William the wrong idea,” he said to her, jokingly putting his hands over Will’s ears as their son ate the macaroni and cheese in front of him.

It was a Friday night, and they really didn’t have anything to do, so Mark caved and agreed. “Oh, goody,” Bridget said gleefully as she clapped her hands. “Let me clean up these dishes and we can get settled.” Mark smiled at the happiness he was able to cause her, just from a simple movie night. She had told him more than once that she loved the nights the three of them spent sitting on the couch, all cozied up and watching a movie. He secretly loved them too, but he also liked to give her a hard time about them–their banter gave him a little thrill each time it ensued. 

As Bridget started cleaning up, Mark said, “While you do this, I have to make a quick phone call to Jeremy about Monday’s case. Shouldn’t take more than five minutes.” Bridget gave him a look–she hated when he brought work home, especially on Fridays–but she simply said, “That puts you on popcorn duty.” Mark smiled and said, “Gladly.”

By the time he and Jeremy had hung up, almost fifteen minutes had gone by. Mark knew Bridget was probably annoyed, so he quickly busied himself with the popcorn bag in the kitchen. “Extra butter, too!” she called from the living room. “Already did!” he called back as he poured melted butter over the hot popcorn. Mark cradled the bowl in his arm as he carried two glasses of wine and a sippy cup of juice into the living room. 

“I brought wine, too,” he said. Bridget and Will were cuddled up on the couch underneath a blanket, and she looked at Mark over Will’s head. “You’re an absolute angel,” she said with a smile.

“Any room for me on that couch?” Mark asked as he placed the popcorn and wine on the table in front of them. He handed Will the sippy cup and he eagerly took it. “Thank you, Daddy,” he said, and Mark kissed him atop his head. “You’re very welcome, my little gentleman.” Bridget pulled Will in closer to her and patted the empty space on Will’s other side. “I do believe this spot is saved for you,” she said, and Mark sank down next to Will. 

“So, what did we decide on?” Mark asked as Will threw some of the blanket over his legs. “Daddy should be under here, too,” he said solemnly, looking up at Mark with his cornflower blue eyes. Mark smiled and affectionately ran his hand through Will’s curls. “Thanks, Billy Boy,” he said, to which Bridget curtly replied, “Ugh, please don’t call him Billy.” Mark grinned at her over Will’s head and said, “Fine, commander-in-chief.” 

Bridget rolled her eyes and said, “To answer your question, we’ve settled on  _Hocus Pocus_. Will is 3, almost 4, and it’s time he experienced the wonder of the Sanderson Sisters.” Mark gave her a sour face over Will’s head. “Never saw it,” he said, throwing some kernels into his mouth. Bridget put a hand to her chest as her eyes grew huge. “ _What?_ ” she asked dramatically. “Bridget, when in the world would I have watched  _Hocus Pocus_?” Mark asked. 

“Mark,  _Hocus Pocus_  is one of the most iconic Halloween movies of all-time. I mean, I know you’ve had a television in the time we’ve been together–you’ve never caught it over Halloween weekend? They’re always showing it.”

“Can’t say that I have. Are you sure it’s appropriate for…” Mark gestured towards Will with his head. 

“Mark, you know I would only pick something appropriate. For crying out loud…it’s a Disney movie.”

Mark put up his hands defensively and shrugged. “I’m just making sure. You say ‘iconic Halloween movie’ and I think of  _Scream_  or  _Nightmare on Elm Street_. Not  _Hocus Pocus._ ”

“It’s a movie about witches, Mark, not murderers. And it stars Bette Midler. Surely that will entice you.” 

“You know how much I love Bette Midler,” Mark answered drolly as he handed Bridget her wine glass. Bridget smirked at him. “Mommy, Daddy, are you done arguing yet? I want to watch the movie,” Will piped in, tugging on Bridget’s sleeve. “Yes, my darling. Daddy is just being a party pooper,” she responded. Will turned his head to look in Mark’s direction. “Why are you being a party pooper, Daddy?” he asked. Mark gave Bridget one of his famous side-eyes as he said, “I’m not being a party pooper, Billy Boy”–he could see Bridget cringing–”I just didn’t know what the movie is about. Why don’t we start it and see?” 

Within the first twenty minutes, Will was wide-eyed, completely engrossed in the film. Mark was equally as engaged, sipping his wine and munching popcorn as his eyes stayed glue to the screen. It wasn’t until the scene where Max lights the candle in the Sanderson Sister’s house that the spell over Mark was finally broken. 

“Really, Bridget? A  _virgin_  has to light the candle?” he whispered over Will’s head. 

“Mark Fitzwilliam Darcy, you’re ruining the movie. Zip it,” she replied, throwing some kernels into her mouth without making eye contact. “C’mon, Bridget…meet me in the middle here,” Mark continued. Bridget turned her head and hissed, “He won’t know what that means for years. Just enjoy the movie.” Will’s attention was now ripped from the TV as he looked between his two parents.

“Daddy, what’s a virgin?” he asked, innocently looking up at Mark. Bridget snorted into her glass of wine as she looked at Mark with expectant eyes. Mark was at a complete loss for words as he looked into his son’s eyes. “Well, um…” he muttered, glancing back at Bridget for some kind of support. 

“This one’s on you, Daddy. I’d suggest we form a calming circle, but I don’t think that would really answer Will’s question.”

Mark shot daggers at her across the couch as he gulped. “Thanks for nothing,” he muttered as he looked back down at Will. “Let’s keep watching the movie and maybe we’ll find out,” he continued, patting Will on the leg. Luckily, his son’s curiosity was satiated as he replied, “Good idea, Daddy.” Bridget snorted once more into her glass of wine and looked over at her husband.  

“Nice save, party pooper,” she said. Mark gave her a smug smile and said, “It seems I have my own brand of hocus pocus that does  _not_  require a virgin.” Bridget’s eyes grew wide as she gestured towards Will with her head. Mark picked up on her hint and nodded–there had been enough talk of virgins to last him a lifetime.

 

**Author's Note:**

> These fanfics have turned me into a full on Colin Firth rollercoaster. [Follow me on Tumblr](http://hisreindeerjumper.tumblr.com) if you want a ticket for the ride!


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